ThinkFun Brain Labs are fun game-based programs that teach our problem solving philosophy called The Super Solver System. Your students will become “Super Solvers” as they develop thinking skills they will need to tackle problems in real life! Through these Brain Labs, students learn the three fundamentals of the Super Solver System: Super Solver Steps Super Solver Strategies Super Solver State of Mind. These Brain Labs include step-by-step power points to help guide your instruction, and here we’ve shared the slides that introduce our Rush Hour Brain Lab. Rush Hour is ThinkFun’s most popular game, and over the course of this Lab students will become well-versed in the Super Solver Steps as they play through new challenges and reflect on their thinking! Students will learn to use these four Steps when they become frustrated with a problem. Understand the problem Choosing a strategy Do your strategy Inspect what you’ve done Don’t have it solved yet? That’s okay. Simply loop back to Step 1 as many times as needed. Remember U Can Do It!!! (Understand, Choose, Do and Inspect)

1. © 2009 ThinkFun Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction of this presentation, in whole or in part, is
prohibited except with written permission from ThinkFun Inc.
Become a Super Solver!
Rush Hour Brain Lab
Part 1 – Introduction

2. To become a Super Solver,
you need to understand the Super Solving System!
What is a Super Solver?
Someone who knows what it takes to solve any problem that
comes their way!
Super Solvers understand:
* the Steps they need to take to evaluate the problem,
* the Strategies they should use to solve the problem,
* the importance of having the right State of Mind.
These are the three S’s of the Super Solver System!

3. Super Solver Steps:
The first thing a successful problem solver, a Super Solver,
does when encountering a problem, is to evaluate the
problem and make a plan!
1
How do you make a plan?
Go through the following four Super Solver Steps!
4 2
Step 1: Understand the problem
Step 2: Choose a strategy to use
Step 3: Do it! Use your chosen strategy.
3 Step 4: Inspect to check that your solution makes sense.
The wonderful part is if you get to step 4 and still have not solved
the problem, you simply circle back to step 1 and repeat!

4. U Can Do It!!!
To help memorize the four steps,
remember the Super Solver motto:
U Can Do It!!!
Super Solver Steps:
1. Understand
2. Choose
3. Do
4. Inspect

5. Super Solver Strategies
Super Solvers have Super Powers because they
have a tool kit of many different strategies to help
them solve problems.
Super Solver Strategies:
• Find a Good Place to Start
• Break into Smaller Problems
• Eliminate Possibilities
• Work Backwards
• Look for a Pattern
• Guess and Check

6. Super Solver State of Mind:
When solving a problem it is important to always have the
right attitude! The Super Solver State of Mind means
believing that You Can Do It!
Work hard, persevere and fight through frustration because
you know how good it will feel when you’re successful!
Super Solver State of Mind:
• Believe You are a Problem Solver
• Persevere - Don’t Give Up!
• Be Confident
• Be a Risk Taker
• Be a Positive Thinker

7. Rush Hour Brain Lab is all about
learning how to use the Super Solver Steps!
How will we do this?
Part one: Introduction to How to Play Rush Hour
Part two: Super Solver Steps using Minimum Spaces
Part three: Steps further examined using Circle Solve
Part four: Steps 2 and 3 and problems in real life
Part five: Invention of Rush Hour challenges
Part six: Celebrate Super Solver Success!

9. Certificate of Achievement:
The Rush Brain Lab will help you become a Super Solver by teaching
the three S’s of the Super Solver System. You will collect points to work
towards earning a Certificate of Achievement! We will celebrate this
together at the end!
Awards: Earn between 72 – 99 points and become a Super Solver STAR!
Earn over 100 points and become a Super Solver SUPER STAR!

10. Super Solver Tracking Chart:
How do you earn points? By completing Rush Hour
challenges and playing new Rush Hour games!
Here is the tracking chart to help you track all the challenges you
will solve and games you play.

11. How to Play Rush Hour

12. Let’s Play Rush Hour!

13. Introduction Challenge Set 1 and 2

14. Use Rush Hour Overhead Practice Board & Pieces

15. Rush Hour Brain Lab
Now that you’ve had a chance to play Rush Hour,
what do you think?
Why is it important for a Super Solver to have
the right State of Mind?
Super Solver State of Mind
• Believe You are a Problem Solver
• Persevere - Don’t Give Up!
• Be Confident
• Be a Risk Taker
• Be a Positive Thinker

16. U Can Do It!
Who remembers the four Super Solver Steps?
Don’t forget the motto U Can Do It! It will help
you remember!

17. Super Solvers Mission Report (Part 1):
1) Learning the Super Solver System will help you to become a better
____________________________________ .
2) What are the three S’s of the Super Solver System?
S ____________________________________
S ____________________________________
S ____________________________________
3) What Steps do the letters UCDI stand for?
U ____________________________________
C ____________________________________
D ____________________________________
I ____________________________________
4) What is the Super Solver Motto that helps you to remember UCDI?
5) Why is Perseverance important to a Super Solver?